C-store retailers are hard pressed to escape artificial intelligence (AI) in present times. Many supplier partners are already incorporating the technology. Most operators are using AI, even if at the most basic level. And still, it has the potential to do so much more for a chain’s operations and customer’s experience.
To learn how one c-store retailer is currently leveraging AI, CStore Decisions reached out to Jessica Bardon, public relations and marketing manager for McIntosh Energy Co. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based McIntosh Energy operates four MacFood Marts in Indiana.
{CStore Decisions (CSD)} Can you describe some of the ways in which you’re currently using AI in the c-store space?
{Jessica Bardon (JB)} As a small business, we utilize AI as a building block in our marketing, promotions and event planning. We also leverage AI as its implementation is slowly rolled into the software we already use. For example, our social media management platform utilizes AI for social listening, sentiment analysis, and custom reports and alerts in data analytics. We also make use of AI to interpret anonymized data sets from our MacFood Mart Rewards program. This helps us identify customer trends and behaviors and better evaluate which promotions are driving the most redemptions among our loyalty members. It’s helped us move quicker in the planning stages and adapt our offers and promotions to better appeal to our customers.
{CSD} What are some of the challenges you’ve come across using AI for retail, and how did you overcome them?
{JB} One challenge in using AI in retail marketing is knowing when to use it, and possibly more importantly, when not to. You only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention before they move on. If the message doesn’t resonate — if it doesn’t feel human — you’ve already lost the opportunity to connect. People are getting better at spotting AI-generated content, and the long-term impact of brands consistently using AI in their messaging is still uncertain. It’s also challenging to discern how AI can be useful within your business. With so many possible avenues for implementing AI, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by information. I had to experiment with AI before finding areas where it helped me save time or spark ideas in our marketing, promotions and event planning. Because of these challenges, I follow a few rules with how I utilize AI.
- Treat it like a brainstorming partner, not a substitute for creativity.
- AI is like a team member, useful but not perfect.
- Everything goes through a human filter.
{CSD} What kind of data should c-stores be collecting to enable future AI initiatives?
{JB} You don’t need to collect everything at once, and honestly, you don’t need massive amounts of data to get started. With a loyalty program, just start with the basics — what offers members are redeeming, products they’re buying and how often they’re coming back. That alone can help you understand how your program is being used and reveal patterns you could lean into as you build smarter promotions.
In marketing, collecting data from your social media post-performance like engagement rates and audience growth can be analyzed with AI to track overall performance and provide strategies on future content creation and campaign planning. Similar strategies can be applied when evaluating a completed ad campaign, website traffic or email performance — AI can help highlight what worked, what didn’t and where to focus next.
{CSD} Where do you see AI making the biggest difference for c-stores over the next three to five years?
{JB} Personalization and automation will be opportunities for AI to make the most impact in the c-store industry. In the same way programmatic advertising adjusts ad placement and visibility in real time, AI has the potential to make real-time adjustments to loyalty programs based on current redemption rates and engagement. I think there’s some potential for AI to automatically fine-tune offers to drive better results. In addition, AI could be used to increase internal efficiencies like inventory and scheduling and allow team members to focus on higher-impact work.
